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Wireless Basics

802.11ad

Until now, wireless router makers have had only one drum to beat to get Wi-Fi buyers' attention: the big number on the box (BNOB). And they have pounded on that drum louder and louder as the BNOB leaped past AC3200 up to AC5400 last year and now up to AD7200 as we roll into 2017. This new number is made possible by the introduction of routers containing an 802.11ad radio.

802.11ad aka WiGig operates in the 60 GHz band, which makes it an in-room only technology. So 802.11ad is not for whole-home networking! The same laws of physics that give 5 GHz shorter range than 2.4 GHz are in effect in spades for 60 GHz.

With AD, the BNOB numbers game is still at play, but in an even more misleading way. As explained below, the class number is the total of the maximum link rates of each radio. So the 7200 in AD7200 is the combination of the maximum link rates of the 2.4, 5 and 60 GHz radios, i.e. 800 Mbps (2.4 GHz) + 1733 Mbps (5 GHz) + 4600 Mbps (60 GHz) = 7133, rounded up to 7200. In reality, AD7200 routers are 4x4 AC2600 class routers with an 802.11ad radio tacked on.

What 11ad brings to the party are (much) higher bandwidth and much lower latency than 802.11ac Wi-Fi. This makes it suited for high-speed file transfer, HD screen mirroring / casting and wireless computer docking. A sleeper application that could drive 11ad adoption may be wireless connection for VR headsets.

Bottom line: If you're willing to wait a bit, AD seems like a perfect application for add-on boxes, similar to those that were introduced to add 5 GHz 802.11ac to N class routers in AC's early days. But right now, 11ad mostly makes for a more expensive AC2600 router.

Mesh Systems

The most visible new development in Wi-Fi in 2016 has been the rise of "mesh" wireless systems. These products go by many names, i.e. Wi-Fi "system", "surround" Wi-Fi", "mesh" Wi-Fi, but have one thing in common; the use of multiple devices to form a distributed Wi-Fi architecture. These systems mark a departure from the BNOB and BHR (Big Honkin' Router) trends that have driven consumer Wi-Fi to this point.

The common aspect of these products is that they connect multiple access points via Wi-Fi instead of the wired Ethernet connections normally used in multi-AP systems. One AP is connected to your current wireless router or broadband modem and the others connect to it via Wi-Fi. The inter-AP connections, or "backhaul" are supposedly continuously, or more likely periodically, monitored by a cloud service and adjusted as needed to balance backhaul and client device traffic loads.

"Mesh" Wi-Fi products

Startup eero kicked off the trend in early 2015, promising to deliver its first orders that summer. But it took eero longer than expected to work out the kinks and its first products shipped in early 2016. 2016 saw a flurry of mesh Wi-Fi announcements, some of which have already aborted. Luma and Ubiquiti Networks' AmpliFi made it to shipment, while Chime has disappeared as a product and morphed into an OEM technology incorporated into Amped Wireless' Allly. Plume could go either way.

All these products typically use AC1200 radios for both device and backhaul connections. The exceptions are eero, which has a shared 2.4 / 5 GHz radio and extra 5 GHz radio, and AmplifiHD, which uses 3x3 AC1750 in both its router and extenders.

Ally actually falls into a different category, as does NETGEAR's Orbi, one easily confused with mesh (sometimes intentionally). These router / extender combo systems try to move beyond something you can build yourself by buying a router and any wireless extender by pre-pairing the two units and offering a single management interface and maybe smoother roaming between units.

However, Orbi is in a class by itself, using a dedicated 5 GHz 1733 Mbps 4x4 backhaul between router and its extender ("Satellite") to connect AC1200 class APs in both. The AC1200 APs connect only to client devices, while the backhaul connects only router and satellite. The result is the best performance we've seen from anything we've tested, especially for getting a more-than-decent 5 GHz signal to former Wi-Fi dead spots.

NETGEAR Orbi radio architecture

This approach is so successful, it probably won't be long until lower-cost clones appear. Orbi is based on Qualcomm's SON technology introduced at CES 2016 and I'm sure Qualcomm would be happy to help their other customers duplicate NETGEAR's success.

Whether "mesh" or router / extender, these multi-device products have one thing in common. With prices starting at $350 and peaking at $500, they ain't cheap. But if manufacturers have learned anything over the past few years, it's to not underestimate what people are willing to spend to get spouses and kids to stop complaining about crappy Wi-Fi!

Bottom line: If you've tried everyting else and still aren't happy with your home's Wi-Fi performance, you're better off trying one of these systems than spending about the same for an AC5300 / 5400 BHR. We recommend Orbi vs. three-device systems on the strength of its 4x4 backhaul.

Making the Choice

Wi-Fi continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with more changes to come. So we once again caution against trying to "future proof" your purchases. Just ask anyone who paid top price for a MU-MIMO "ready" or tri-radio "Smart Connect" router. Some of the former are still waiting for the MU-MIMO upgrades and the latter are either still futzing with getting Smart Connect to work reliably or have disabled it and resorted to manual band assignment. More often than not, paying a steep price for the latest and greatest in Wi-Fi has not produced the desired result.

If you have a small area to cover and just a few devices, AC1200 class will suit you fine.

AC1900 class continues to be our go-to router for best combination of price and performance.

If you already have an AC1200 class or higher router, it's unlikely moving up to a 4x4 class router (AC2600 / AC3100) will provide significant performance improvement. See Will A New AC Router Bring You WiFi Joy?

Don't look to MU-MIMO or 160 MHz bandwidth to solve capacity problems. You need devices that also support these features and there are not that many out there.

If you are having a hard time with interference from too many 5 GHz networks, look for routers that support DFS.

If you have a lot of devices and a large area to cover, consider multi-device "mesh" systems instead of AC5300/5400 routers.

If you have tried everything else, still haven't gotten the Wi-Fi you want and price isn't a deciding factor, try NETGEAR's Orbi.

Closing Thoughts

The main thrust of this article has been to point you to the right class of router. Once you determine that, there is still a world of choice out there. Follow these steps to use our product research tools to speed your search.

Use Router Search - Now simply enter the manufacturer name and model number in the Router Charts Search box. This will return pretty much everything we know about your router. You can even look for routers we haven't tested to get a rough idea of how routers in that class perform.

Be sure to use the Test Method selector when using the Rankers and Charts so you see all the products available!

In the end, the only real way to know how a wireless router will perform is to try it. The SNB Forums are full of people agonizing over choosing the best router and getting confused by all the conflicting reviews and advice. Sometimes they get their "perfect" router home and all is well. But other times, it becomes the router from hell that won't play nice at all in their specific environment. If that happens to you, just return the router and move on to your second choice.

Once you've made your choice, buy from a retailer with a liberal return policy. Amazon has one and you'll get all your money back (minus shipping) as long as you return the product in the same condition as you received it. Linksys' Home Store has 90 day (!) no-hassle returns for new and 30 days for refurbished products and they pay shipping. There are other options out there. Use them to make sure you're getting something that works for you!